Machine for separating tickets.



APPLICATION FILED MAR.27, 1905.

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N0. 806,969. PATENTED DEC. 12, 1905.

W. A. GIBBS.

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING TICKETS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.27, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 806,969. PATENTED DEC. 12, 1905.

W. A. GIBBS. MACHINE FOR SEPARATING TICKETS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.27,1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET FIE-1-3- WITNESSES: INVENTOR 5 5 4 We; a.. a'.l|.s,

Cf cL loqfxttys No. 806,969. PATENTED DEC. 12, 1905. W. A. GIBBS.

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING TICKETS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.27, 1905.

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unrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER A. GIBBS, or ZANESVILLE, OHIO.

MACHINE FOR SEPAFRATING TICKETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Application filed March 27, 1905. Serial No. 252,435.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that LWVALTBB A. GIBBS, a citizen of the United States,residingat Zanesville, in the county of Muskingum and State of Ohio, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Separating Tickets, &c., of which improvement the following is a specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements in mechanism for separating tickets or other like articles from a pile or pack, registering such removal or separation of each ticket, and mutilating, if desired, each ticket as removed.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on a plane indicated by the line II II, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on a plane indicated by the line III III, Fig. 1, the carrier being shown in its retracted position. Fig. 4: is a sectional view on a plane indicated by the line IV IV, Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are detailed views, respectively, of portions of the carrier and of the mutilating-rolls. Fig. 7 is an enlarged view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the receiver for the tickets to be counted; and Fig. 8 is an edge elevation of the same.

In the practice of my invention a pile or pack of tickets is arranged in the receiver, consisting of a back piece 1, side walls 2, adjustably securedto the back piece, and retaining-doors 3, preferably hinged to the side walls and of such width as not to completely cover the tickets, but to leave a slot or opening through which the movement of the tickets can be observed. Within the chamber or passage formed by these parts is arranged a presser-head i, subjected by any suitable means to a force tending to move the head and the tickets rest ing thereon toward the delivering end of the carrier. In the construction shown this moving force is applied to the head by means of weights 5, connected by cords 6 to the head and passing over guide-pulleys 7. In order to prevent the ticket from being forced out of this receptacle by the head 4:, retainingjaws 8 are pivotally mounted, so that their edges, which are preferably serrated, will project through slots in the side walls of the receptacle and rest against the edges of the ticket. As shown, these engaging edges are slightly inclined, so that the tickets will be wedged in between the jaws, as clearly shown in Flg. 7. These aws are held in operative position by springs 9 and are adapted to be shifted outwardly against the tension of the springs simultaneous with the engagement of the separating device with the ticket, as will be hereinafter described. As it may sometimes happen that two adjoining tickets will adhere one to the other, it is preferred to employ means along which the tickets will be moved by the separating device and the lower ticket, or the one not in direct engagement with the separating device, will be caused to drop down. A convenient construction to this end consists of spring-fingers 10, secured to the side walls of the receptacle and projecting inwardly into the path of movement of the tickets when shifted by the separating device. These s pringfingers should engage the ticket only with sufficient force to pull them apart at their edges and not to cause a disengagement of the ticket from the separating device.

Suitable means are employed for engaging the end ticket of the pack or pile while in engagement with the jaws 8, lifting the ticket past said jaws and out of the carrier into position to be caught by a transfer device, whereby'it is shifted from the separating device and preferably to a mutilating means. In the construction shown the lifting device or separator consists of a tube or hollow head 11, connected to an exhaust apparatus and movable down so as to bear against the top ticket, thereby closing the lower end of such tube and permitting the formation of a greater or less vacuum in the tube so that the ticket will be held against the end of the latter by pneumatic pressure. tion shown this tube or liftinghead 11 is connected to asliding head 12, mounted upon a tubular guide 13, connected by a pipe let to an exhaust apparatus, which may be of any suitable or desired construction. The head 12 is connected, as shown, to suitable means for reciprocating such head and the tube or head 11, said means consisting in the construction shown in eccentrics 15, having their straps 16 connected to trunnions 17 on the head. By the operation of these eccentrics the head and tube are moved down until the lower end of the latter will bear against the end ticket in the ticket-holder heretofore described, so that such ticket will close and seal the end of the tube 11. Suitable means are employed for removing the ticket from the separating-head at the proper time, and while the ticket may be drawn away from this head directly by the shifting mechanism, as hereinafter described, it is preferred to employ a stripper which will support the ticket after removal from the head until caught by the shifting mechanism. This stripper is arranged in the path of the head 11 and in the construction shown is made in the form of a tube. As the head 11 moves away from the holder its motion is continued until the portions of the ticket projecting beyond the tube or head 11 will bear against a tubular stripper 18, which serves as a guide for the head 11 in its move ment. This stripper is secured by a bracket to a portion of the framework of the machine. The upward movement of the head 11 is such that its lower end will pass within the tubular stripper, so that, as a vacuum is constantly maintained within the tube 11, the ticket will be held against the lower end of the stripper by pneumatic pressure until removed, as hereinafter described.

In order to shift the holding-jaws 8 to release the ticket against which the hollow head bears when shifted, arms 8 are connected to the head 12 and are adapted to engage lugs 8 on the jaws as the hollow head bears against the end ticket to shift the jaws 8 sufficiently to permit such ticket to be carried back by the hollow head in its return movement.

It will be observed that the separating or lifting mechanism is so constructed that the ticket is transferred from the separator to the stripper and held there While the lifter completes its upward movement and commences its return movement. In order to avoid an entire destruction of the vacuum in the connections between the exhaust apparatus and the head, a suitable valve is arranged, preferably, in the guide-tube 13, adapted to be closed as soon as the ticket is removed from the lower end of the head or stripper and to open as soon as the lower end of the head is closed by a ticket. A desirable construction to this end consists of a perforated diaphragm 19, arranged in the tube 13, and avalve-plate 20, suspended on pins 21 below the diaphragm. As the valve will pevent air from rushing through the head and pipe 1 1 to exhaust apparatus as it approaches the ticket, there will not be any disturbance of any of the tickets except by the head when raised. As soon as a ticket is removed from thelower end of the head 11 or the stripper the inrush of air will force the plate 20 against the diaphragm, partially closing the opening therethrough; but when the head is lowered against another ticket the leakage past the valve will permit of an equalization of pressure on both sides of the closed diaphragm and the valve will drop, so as to permit free communication through the opening in the diaphragm.

In order to remove the ticket from the head or stripper, I employ a slide 22, arranged in suitable ways on the bed of the machine and adapted to be reeiprocated by a crank 23 on the power-shaft 24:. This shaft is also connected by a sprocket-chain 25 to the shaft 26, on which is secured the eccentrics 15. The front end of this slide 22 is provided with supporting-ribs 27, adapted when the slide is moved forward to pass under the ticket held against the lower end of the head 11 or the stripper 18. These ribs may be formed by grooving or notching the front end of the slide. The tickets are held against these ribs with sufficient force to insure their removal from the head 11 or stripper 18 on the backward movement of the slide by means of lingers 28, carried by a plate 29, pivotally mounted on the slide 22 and adapted to be shifted, so as to press the fingers down on the ticket or toward the slide by means of a spring 30. These lingers are so located that when no ticket is resting upon theribs 27 they will pass down between said ribs for a purpose to be hereinafter stated. The plate 29 is provided with a tailpiece 31, with which an arm 32, pivotally mounted to a portion of the frame of the machine, will engage as the slide moves forward, and therebyraise the lingers 28 above the plane of a ticket adhering to the end of the head or stripper. This arm is pivotally mounted, as stated, so that as the slide moves backward it will swing to one side, out of the path of movement of a guide-rib on the tailpiece 31, as shown in Fig. 4. This arm is held in inoperative position by means of a spring 34:, constructed to permit of a movement of the arm in both directions, but adapted to return it to normal position. As the slide moves forward to engage a ticket the guide-rib 33 on the tail 31 will engage the lower end of the arm and shift it to the right in Fig. 1, so that its end will bear and ride along on the tailpiece, raising the gripping-lingers 28. As the tailpiece slips by this arm it will be shifted to the left by its spring and remain in such position until the slide moves backward, when the opposite edge of the guide-rib will bear against the arm and shift it slightly to the left until the guide-rib has moved past it, whereupon the spring will return it to a position to engage the guide rib and tail 31 on the next forward movement of the slide. This arm is so located as to release the pivoted plate 29 just as the slide reaches the limit of its forward movement and a ticket projects between the ribs 27 and the gripping-finger. A projection 35 is formed on the plate 29, being made of such a height that when the slide moves forward and while the gripping-fingers 28 project down into the slots on the sides of the ribs 27 this projection will pass under and not affect a depending arm 36, connected to a suitable counting mechanism 37. The arm 36 on the counting mechanism has such a pivotal connection with such mechanism that when the slide 22 moves forward and the jaws are raised the arm 36 will simply swing forward until the projection 35 has passed, when it will resume normal position. When a ticket is resting upon the ribs 27, it will prevent the fingers 28 from passing down be tween the ribs, and hence the projection 35 will be lifted up sufficiently far that on the rearward movement of the slide it will engage the arm 36 and operate the counting mechanism. It will be seen from the foregoing that the presence of a ticket between the grip pingfingers and the ribs 27 is absolutely essential to the operation of the counter. As the slide 22 moves backward with the ticket the tail 31 of the plate 29 will be depressed by an arm 38, secured to the frame of the machine, thereby lifting the gripping-fingers from the ticket. In order to insure the removal of the ticket from the bearing-ribs, a pusher is employed consisting of a plate 39, movably mounted on the slide 22 beneath the plate 29. This slide or pusher is held in inoperative position by means of springs 40, connected to the pusher and the slide 22. As the slide moves backward this pusher will strike against shoulders or abutments 41, carried by the guideways of the slide 22, and being held from further backward movement with the slide 22 the bearing-ribs 27 will pass under this pusher and the ticket will be forced ofl" the same. In the construction shown this pusher is provided with upwardly-projecting lugs, 42, adapted to bear against the rear edge of the ticket. The shifting of the plate 2 9 to release the ticket and the operation of the pusher are so timed that the ticket will drop down into a chute A3 and pass from that either to a suitable receptacle or preferably to suitable means for mutilating the ticket. In the construction shown the means for mutilating the ticket consists of a pair of rolls, each provided with collars adapted to project into grooves in the other roll. As the ticket is dropped down between these rollers it will be cut into sections, dependent upon the number of grooves and collars. As the edges of the collars act as shears, the sections will have a length equal to the width of the grooves and might become wedged therein. In order to prevent this, means are provided, as by small grooves and ribs, to crimp the sections transversely, thereby reducing the length of such, so they will freely drop out of the grooves.

I claim herein as my invention 1. A machine for separating tickets, &c., having in combination a reciprocating hollow head, means for exhausting air from said head and a tubular stripper for an extension of the head in certain positions of the latter.

2. A machine for separating tickets, &c., having in combination a reciprocating hollow head, means for exhausting air from said head, reciprocating grippers arranged to engage a ticket when shifted by the head, and a count- 3. A machine for separating tickets, &c.,

having in combination a reciprocating hollow head, means for exhausting air from said head, reciprocating grippers arranged to engage a ticket when shifted by the head and a counting mechanism operative by the grippers when in engagement with a ticket.

4. A machine for separating tickets, &c., having in combination a hollow head, a ticketholder, means for reciprocating the head toward and from the ticket-holder, means for exhausting air from the head, reciprocating grippers arranged to engage a ticket when shifted by the head, means for mutilating the ticket and means for receiving the ticket from the grippers and directing it to the mutilating means.

5. A machine for separating tickets, 620., having in combination a hollow head, means for exhausting air from the head, a ticket holder, means for forcing tickets along the holder, means for retaining tickets in the holder, means for reciprocating the head toward and from the holder, and means operative by the head in its movement toward the holder to release a ticket.

6. A machine for separating tickets, &c., having in combination, a tubular stripper, a hollow head movable into and out of the stripper, a ticket-holder, means for exhausting air from the head, and means for reciprocating the head toward and from the holder.

7 A machine for separating tickets, &c., having in combination a hollow head connected to an exhaust mechanism, and a valve in such connection automatically operative to close the connection on the admission of air to the head.

8. A machine for separating tickets, &c., having in combination a ticket-holder, means for removing tickets one at a time from the holder, a reciprocating gripper, a counting mechanism and means operative when the gripper is in engagement with a ticket to operate the counting mechanism.

9. A machine for separating tickets, 850., having in combination a ticketholder, means for removing tickets one at a time from said holder, a reciprocating slide provided with gripping-jaws, one movable relative to the other, a counting mechanism and means operative by the slide when the jaws are in engagement with a ticket.

10. A machine for separating tickets, 860., having in combination a ticket-holder, means for removing tickets one at a time from the holder, a reciprocating slide provided with jaws, one movable relative to the other, and an ejector operative by the slide.

11. A machine for separating tickets, &c., having in combination a ticket-holder, a pair of rolls provided with grooves and collars, the collars on one roll projecting into the grooves of the other rolls, and means for transferring tickets from the holder to the rolls.

IIO

having in combination a ticket-holder, means for maintaining a feed-pressure on tickets in said holder, a reciprocating tieketshifting head and means for retaining the tickets in the holder and operative by the head to release the tickets.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

VALTER A. GIBBS.

Vitnesses:

CHARLES BARNETT, H ERB ERT BRADLEY. 

